Fishing device.



H. P. SANDY.

FISHING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 4, I915.

Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

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- ij rE sr'rs rarnronnren HARRY r. ,GANDY, OF- HAMPTON, vineiniarassrenon or steam To RICHARD ani/ srnoive, or HAMPTON, VIRGI IA;

rlsnino 'nnvron.

L cense. 7

To all tohom it may concern: 7

Be itknown that I, HARRY GANDr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hampton, in the county of Elizabeth City and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1n; Fishing Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention provides a device for eX peditiously taking crabs and other crustacea fronrtrot-lines. v

The trot line used-for catchingcrabs usually is of considerable length, it is fastened and buoyed at each end, and it has bait fixed thereto at intervals lying on or close to the bottom that is grabbed and held by the crabs in their effort to consume it. In gathering I crabs from a trot-line, it is the common practice for a fisherman n a small boat to raise the line at or near one end and to pull himself along the line to the other end, taking by a hand-net the crabs holding onto the baitas they of the water.

It is an object of this invention to provide a device adapted for installation on a motorpropelled boat and arranged, without stopping the boat, to raise a trot-line and to come to or near to the surface gather the crabs as they release their hold on the bait upon being brought to or near to the surface of the water as the boat proceeds along the line. Moreover, the device is so arranged that'those crabs are caught that may release their hold of the bait on approaching the surface of the water but farther below than ordinarily can be reached by the handenet commonly used. The invention avoids the slow process of taking crabs by a hand-net, and it results in the taking of many crabs that are lost in following the old method.

When read in connection with the description herein, the details of construction and arrangement of parts contemplated by the invention will be apparent from the accompanying drawing, forming part hereof, wherein an embodiment of the invention, as

adapted to the taking of crabs, is disclosed,

for purposes of illustration.

W bile the disclosures hereln now are considered to represent 'a preferable embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood vice crabs are taken from a trot-line more expeditiously than'by the oldmethod of that it is not the intention to be limited necessarily thereto in interpretation of the Specification of Letters Patent.

view; and Fig. 3 is a topview. I

claims, as changeswithin the limits of the tally a short distance above the surface of the water, the arm supporting the device now to be described.

A frame 6, preferably rectangular in shape, and including in its upper portion a drop arm or plate 7, is secured to the arm 5 by any suitable fastenings 8, and to this frame is secured netting 9, which converges and is attached to a smaller frame 10 behind the frame 6. A runway or mouth thus is provided that leads into a net-bag 11 secured I Patented Dec. 7,1915. Application filed September 4, 1915. Serial No. 49,669. i

the drawto frame 10, and the parts are adapted to v trail in the water from arm 5 while the boat Upright. rods or bolts 12 are p is in motion. carried by the dropped portion of the arm or plate 7, and on them are journaled rollers 13. A substantially horizontal roller 14 is journaled near the rollers 13011 bearings 15 carried by the arm or plate 7. The rollers serve as guides for a trot-line 16.

W hen the device is in use, and the boat carrying it belng in motion, the trot-line runs 011 the roller 14 and thereby 1s ralsed to the surface of the water, and the upright rollers 18 operate to keep the line in place when there is an inclination of the boat to diverge from the course of the line, as there may be in practice. As the bait at intervals along the line is brought to the surface, crabs holding thereon will release their hold before or upon reaching the line-guides, and in the water they are directed by the moving mouth of the device into the bag 11, where they are held until the bag is emptied, it being understood, of course, that the boat travels fast enough to prevent the crabs from swimming in the direction of motion of the boat out through the mouth.

It will be seen that by the use of this dedmiv iiig a boat along t e 1mm stopping guided into the bag.

" tlirough theater and comprising af-frame,

at every bait having a crab thereon to re- I move the crab by a hand-net, and that those crabs that release their hold in front of the mouth before reaching the surface are Having thus described my invention, \vhat I claimrenew, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- 1. A fish ng device arranged-to'be moved through the Water and comprlsing a frame,

guide member's arranged to raise "and guide and a. nett ng carried by said a trot-line, frame and arranged to receive fish dropped from -s'aid linewhile the device is in'motion.

' 2; A fishing device arrangedto be moved guide 'memberson said frame arranged to- I Praise and guide a trot-line, a mouth extending rearWardl-y from said frame arranged to receiverfish dropped from said line While the device'is in motion, and a bag intojwhich said mouth leads.

The combination, v\uth a floating structure, of a fishing devlce comprising a support'carrled by sa1d structure, guide members on sa1d support arranged to raise and ,Gop ie's'oi' this patents-may be obtained "for guide a trot-1ine,and netting carried by said "support and arranged to receiye fish dropped fro m .said h ne while the deviceis being moved through" the Water.

4, The combination, With a floating structure, of a fishing denc'ecompnsmg a support carr ed by saldgstructure, a frame can ried by said'support, guide members on said arm extending laterally therefrom, guide members carried by said arm arranged to raise and guide atrot-li-ne as the boat moves along theline, a frame carried by said arm,

eon-verging netting extending rearwardly from said frame' and arranged to receive fish dropped from said trot-line While the device is in motion in the Water, and a holdingbag into which said netting leads.

V in' testimony whereof, I affix my signature; I

HARRY P. GANDY.

fivecents each, addressing the Commissionerof Yatents, washingtpndfigrcz I 

